Egil’s Saga (32 page)
Authors: E. R. Eddison
To sons of stealers:
To rings a terror:
A treasure-slayer.
Still hath he had
His whole life long
Full.........
Of peace-breakings.
That were not good,
If the gold-waner
Should on the mews’-path,
Much-beridden
Of Rokkvi’s steed,
Have strewn to waste
Those many gains
That to me he wrought.
I was waking betimes:
I bare words together,
With the morning’s work
Of the servant of speech
Pil’d I a praise-howe
That long shall stand
Not easy-broken
In Bragi’s mead.
There was a man named Einar.
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He was the son of Helgi, the son of Otter, the son of Biorn the Easterner who took land in Broadfirth. Einar was brother of Osvif the Wise.
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Einar was straightway in his youthful age big and strong and the greatest man at feats of strength. He took to working of songs straightway when he was young, and was a man ready to learn. That was one summer at the Althing, that Einar went to the booth of Egil Skallagrimson, and they took to words, and speedily it came to this in their talk that they discoursed of skaldship. To either of them such-like discoursing seemed delightful. After that, Einar was wont oft-times to go to talk with Egil; there began to be there great friendship. Einar had a little while before come home from
faring abroad. Egil asked Einar much of tidings from the east, and of his friends: so too of those who he thought he knew were unfriends of his. He asked much too about the great men. Einar asked Egil too, in return, of those tidings that aforetime were come about in Egil’s journeys and his mighty works; and that talk seemed good to Egil, and it made good telling. Einar asked Egil where he had been so bested that he had most tried himself, and bade him say to him that.
Quoth Egil:
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Battled I one ’gainst eight,
Ay, with eleven twice.
So brought we food for beast:
Their bane was I alone.
Swapp’d we hard with hate
With horrible shield-knives:
Let I o’er Embla’s ash
The sword-fire cast,
Egil and Einar spake to friendship betwixt them at parting. Einar was long in the outlands with men of high estate. Einar was an open-handed man, and oftenest had little money, but he was a lordly man and a good fellow: he was of the bodyguard of Earl Hakon Sigurdson.
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In that time there was in Norway great unpeace and battles betwixt them, Earl Hakon and the sons of Eric, and now one now the other were packed out of the land. King Harald Ericson fell south in Denmark at the Neck in the Limfirth, and he was betrayed.
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There battled he against Harald Knutson, that was called Gold-Harald; against him and Earl Hakon. There fell then too, with Harald the King, Arinbiorn the Hersir that before was spoke of.
And when Egil heard tell of Arinbiorn’s fall, then quoth he:
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Minish’d are those who minish’d
The mew-field’s day,—O where now
Shall I find men as bounteous?—
Thing-brighteners of Ingvi:
They that on hawk’s high-fell
Hail’d for me with limbeck’s
Snow for earth’s girdle
Island-nail’d with words.
Einar Helgison the skald was called Jingle-scale. He wrought a drapa upon Earl Hakon that is called Gold-lack,
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and that was for a very long time that the Earl would not listen to the song, because he was wroth with Einar.
Then quoth Einar:
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Made I the ale of Odin,
While others slept; for captain
That sits o’er earth, all eager
Wrought I—I’m sorry for it!
Little methought (with longing
The lord sought I) ’twas likely
To strong prince, treasure-scatterer,
This skald should seem the worst.
And yet again quoth he:
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Seek we that earl that heart takes
To eke with swords the wolf’s feast:
To twi-row’d bark repair we
Of ring-shielded Sigvaldi.
Drop hand with me he will not,
That wound-serpent swayer,
When lord we find. Targe bear we
Aboard of Endil’s snow-shoe.
The Earl would not that Einar should fare away, and listened then to the song, and thereafter gave he Einar a shield, and it was the greatest treasure: it was drawn upon with tales of old,
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but all between the drawings were spangles of gold laid over it, and set with stones.
Einar fared to Iceland and to lodging with Osvif his brother; but in the autumn rode Einar from the west and came to Burg and guested there. Egil was then not at home, for he was fared north into the countryside, but he was looked for home again. Einar waited for him three nights, but that was not the custom to sit longer than three nights at a friend’s. Einar made him ready then to be gone, and when he was ready then went he to Egil’s bed and hung up there the shield, that precious one, and said to the homemen that he gave Egil the shield. So now rode Einar away, but that same day came Egil home. But when he came in to his bed, then saw he the shield, and asked who owned
that treasure. It was said to him that Ėinar Jingle-scale had come there, and he had given him the shield.
Then spake Egil: “Of all men, curse him for his gift! Is he minded that I shall wake there over it and work songs upon his shield? Now fetch my horse. I shall ride after him and slay him!”
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It was then said to him that Einar had ridden early in the morning, “He will now be come west to the Dales”.
After that Egil wrought a drapa, and this is the beginning thereof:
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Time ’tis the lauds to ’lumine
Of glitt’ring fence I’ve gotten
Of ships: (home to mine hand came
Greeting of treasure-sender).
Mishandled (my words hear ye)
Of me shall ne’er the reins be
Of stallion of Gylfi’s land
That ’longeth to the earth-born.
Egil and Einar held to their friendship so long as they both lived. But so, it is said, fared it with the shield at last, that Egil had it with him in that bridal-journey, when he fared north to Withymire with Thorkel Gunnvaldson, he and those sons of Red-Biorn, Trefil and Helgi. Then was the shield spoilt, and cast into the whey-vat;
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but thereafter Egil let take off the mountings, and there were twelve ounces of gold in the spangles.
T
HORSTEIN the son of Egil, then when he was waxen up, was of all men the fairest to look upon, white of hair and bright of aspect. He was big and strong, and yet not to compare with his father. Thorstein was a wise man and of gentle ways, even-minded and the best-tempered of men. Egil loved him little.
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Thorstein too was nothing warm-hearted
towards him; but Asgerd and Thorstein loved each other greatly.
Egil was then becoming very old. That was of a certain summer, that Thorstein rode to the Althing, but Egil sat then at home. But before Thorstein should fare from home, he and Asgerd watched their time and took out of a chest of Egil’s that silken gown, Arinbiorn’s loom, and Thorstein had it to the Thing. And when he had it at the Thing, then was it too long and trailed behind him and became filthy underneath, then when they were a-going to the Hill of Laws.
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And when he came home, then Asgerd put away the gown, there where it was before; but a long while later, when Egil opened his chest, then found he that the gown was spoilt, and looked into the matter with Asgerd, how that might have come about. She said then the truth of it.
Then quoth Egil:
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No heir have I to inherit
Mine heritage, as need were:
Living, a son hath cheated me;
Cheating, forsooth, I call that.
Well might the water-horse’s
Bestrider yet have bided
Till they that own the sea-sleighs
The stones have pil’d above me.
Thorstein gat to wife Jofrid, daughter of Gunnar Hlifarson:
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her mother was Helga, daughter of Olaf Feilan,
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and sister of Thord the Yeller.
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Jofrid had Thorodd had to wife aforetime, the son of Odd-a-Tongue.
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A little after this died Asgerd. After that, Egil broke up his household and put it in the hand of Thorstein; but Egil fared then south to Mossfell to Grim, his son-in-law, because he loved most Thordis his stepdaughter of those folk that then were alive.
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That was one summer, that a ship came out into Leiruwick, and that man steered her who was named Thormod: he was a Northman and a housecarle of Thorstein Thorason’s. He had along with him a shield that Thorstein had sent to Egil Skalla-grimson, and that was a noble treasure. Thormod brought Egil the shield, and he took it thankfully. Afterwards in the winter
wrought Egil a drapa on the gift of the shield, that is called Targe-Drapa,
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and this is the beginning thereof:
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King’s thane, lithe and listen
To my lofty force of the altar’s
Falling-tresséd Friend (let
Thy folk give heed to silence).
Oft shall be heard through Hordland
Mine harvest good of eagle’s
Chaps,......a-stirring,
O steerer of the Raven.
Thorstein Egilson dwelt at Burg. He had two sons gotten out of wedlock, Hrifla and Hrafn, but since he was married he and Jofrid had ten children; Helga the Fair
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was their daughter, whom they strove for, Skald-Hrafn and Gunnlaug the Worm-tongue. Grim was the eldest of their sons; another Skuli; the third Thorgeir, the fourth Kollsvein, the fifth Hiorleif, the sixth Halli, the seventh Egil, the eighth Thord. Thora was named a daughter of theirs that Thormod Kleppiarnson had to wife. From the children of Thorstein is come a great line of kindred and a mort of great men: that is called the Myresmen’s kindred, all that which is come from Skallagrim.
O
NUND SJONI dwelt at Anisbrent then when Egil dwelt at Burg. Onund Sjoni had to wife Thorgerd, daughter of Biorn the Thick from Snaefellstrand.
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The children of her and Onund were Steinar and Dalla, whom Ogmund Galtison had to wife (their sons, Thorgils and Kormak
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). And when Onund became old and his eyesight little good, then handed he over his household: Steinar took it then, his son. That father and son had a wealth of fee.
Steinar was of all men the biggest, and mighty of strength; an ugly man, crooked of growth, long-legged and short of body;
Steinar was a very quarrelsome man and a headstrong, ill to deal with and hard to take hold of, and the most masterful of men. And when Thorstein Egilson dwelt at Burg, then came about straightway a coldness betwixt him and Steinar.
South of Hafslech lieth a marsh that is named Stacksmire: there standeth water over it in winter-time, but in the spring when the ice is loosed then is there grazing there so good for beasts that it was called equal with a stack of home-mead hay. Hafslech made the landmarks there in old days; but in spring went Steinar’s beasts much upon Stacksmire when they were driven out towards Hafslech, and Thorstein’s housecarles grumbled at it. Steinar gave no heed to it; and so fared it through the first summer that nought befell to tell of.
But the second spring Steinar held on with the grazing; but Thorstein betook him then to a talk with him, and talked yet quietly; he bade Steinar hold the grazing of his farm cattle even as in old times it had been. Steinar saith that the cattle would go where it liked;
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he talked of it all somewhat stiffly, and he and Thorstein had some bandying of words.
And now Thorstein let chase the beasts out into the marshes over Hafslech. And when Steinar was ware of that, then set he Grani, a thrall of his, to sit over the beasts on Stacksmire, and he sat there every day. This was in the latter part of summer; there were grazed bare then all the ings
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of the south side of Hafslech.
Now that was one day that Thorstein had walked up to Burg to look about: he saw where Steinar’s beasts fared. He walked out to the marsh (that was late in the day): he saw that the beasts were then come a long way out into the bays of fen between the hillocks. Thorstein ran out along the marsh, and when Grani saw that, then drave he the beasts without stint or stay till they came to the milking-shed. Thorstein came then after him, and they met, he and Grani, in the wall-gate. Thorstein slew him there. That is named since Grani’s-gate: that is in the wall of the home-mead.
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Thorstein kicked the wall down on the top of Grani, and covered so his corpse.
And now fared Thorstein home to Burg. But those women that fared to the milking-shed found Grani there where he lay.
After that, fared they home to the house and said unto Steinar these tidings. Steinar buried him up in the holts, but thereafter set Steinar another thrall to follow the beasts, and that one is not named. Thorstein made then as if he knew nought about the grazing, for that which was left of the summer.
That befell to tell of, that Steinar fared in the first spell of winter out to Snaefellstrand, and tarried there awhile. Steinar saw then a thrall that was named Thrand: he was of all men the biggest and strongest. Steinar bargained for that thrall, and bade for him a great price; but he that owned the thrall valued him at three marks of silver, and valued him twice as dear as a common thrall, and that was their bargain. He had Thrand home with him. And when they came home, then talked Steinar with Thrand: “Now is it come to this, that I will have work of thee. Here hath division been made already of all pieces of work. Now will I lay down a piece of work for thee that thou wilt find little toil in. Thou shalt sit over my beasts. On that set I much account, that there be good holding of them to pasture: I will that thou follow no man’s judgement save thine own, where the pasture is best in the marshes. Nought know I of the looks of a man, if thou have not the heart and the might for this, to hold thine own with any one of Thorstein’s housecarles”.
